Machine for wrapping caramels and the like



1929. A. G. ROSE 1,735,978

' MACHINE FOR WRAPPING CARAMELS AND THE LIKE Filed April 5, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l Nov. 19, 1929; R055 1,735,978

MACHINE FOR WRAPPING CARAMELS AND THE LIKE Filed April 5, 1928 2 Sheets Sheet 2 61 4, )65 Q a BT60 l atented Nov. 19, 1929 ROSE BROTHERS (GAINSBOROUGH) LIMITED, 0F GAINSBOROUGH, ENGLAND, A;

BRITISH COMPANY MACHINE non WRAPPING oARAMELs'ANn THEVLIKEQX Application filed April 5, 1928, Serial No. 267,763, and in Great Britain April 19, 1927.

This invention is for improvements inor relating to wrapping machines for caramels or the like of the type (exemplified in British Patent No. 105,076) comprising a carrier wheel provided with peripheral receiving pockets and rotatable step-by-step to bring each pocket in turn into a position opposite to a reciprocating pusher which operates intermittently to feed caraniels or the like one at a time into successive pockets of the wheel. In this type of machine a wrapper cut from a continuous web fed intermittently across the path of the pusher) is located in front of the receiving pocket so that as the pusher advances the caramel, the wrapper is carried with it and partially folded about the caramel, the completion of the folding operation being efiected during the continued step-bystep rotation of the carrier wheel.

According to the present invention a wrap ping machine of the type described above has a movable abutment which'is located behind the plane of the wrapper feed and is operable on each forward stroke of the pusher to en gage the rear face of the wrapper behind the, caramel and to travel with said caramel during its transfer into the carrier wheel. Prefera-bly the abutment is operable during the advance of the caramel to grip the latter with its wrapper between the opposed faces of the pusher and the abutment. I

This invention also includes a wrapping inachin'eof the type describedabove which has aspring-controlled movable abutment or ab-ut-ments operable to engage and exert yieldingpressure on the rear face of the wrapper behi'nd the .caramelduring the transfer of the caramel into the carrier wheel, I I

Theaforesa-id movable abutment serves to ensure close application ofthe wrapper to the caramel, and also serves to support the caramel between it and the pusher during the "transfer of the caramelto the carrier wheel.

Conveniently the aforesaid abutment is located opposite to the pusher and is 'pivotally mounted for movement about an axisparallel with (or coincident with) that of the carrierf I I in Figure 2;

wheel. The abutment may be actuated in a direction towards the axis of the carrier wheel 1 and into the wheel pocket by, the pusher, out

of said pocket in the same direction by a cam,

and in the reverse direct-ion by. a spring under the control of said cam. The abutment may be in two parts which are located on opposite sides respectively of the wheel and movable together as an k t unit through each wheel poc e This invention further includes a wrap-ping machine of the type described above, having two pairs of wrapper-gripping elements,l0- cated one pair on each side of'the plane of a wrapper feed with one element of each pair j on one side of the carrier wheel and the other element of that pair on the opposite side thereof, both pairs of gripping elements aforesaid i being separate from the pusher, but-operable in timed relationship therewith.

I Iiione construction according to the inven- 'tlon a movable abutment as hereinbefore described and'a pair ofwrapper-gripping elementsvlocated behind-the plane of wrapper feed, are movable together (e. g. on a single support) towards and away from the afo're said plane of feed. By this arrangement the wrapper is located byjthe wrapper-gripf ping element's immediately in front of the abutment to "move with the latterso that all' i risk of buckling the paper, evenwhen asmall caramel is p'resented,is removed.

Conveniently, tl'iat'pair of wrapper-gripping elements which'is located infront of the plane of paper feed is actuatedfrom a spring- I loaded lost motion mechanism to be positively I moved awa from and'resiliently' moved towards the other pair of'elementsr A caramel wrapping machineembodying the present invention willnow be described by way of example with reference to 'th'egac conipanying drawings, in which 2- Figure 1 is a plan view showing tlie general arrangementzof the machine;

Figure 2 shows diagrammat cally i i-front elevation the wrapper feed, the wrappergripping elements and abutment and their I actuating mechanisms, and the pusher and its actuating mechanism; 7 I 1 I Figure 3 is a plan view of the parts shown Figures 4.

abutment and actuating mechanism for these parts 1n different positions; and

Figure 8 showsin plan the wrapper-.grip- V I ping elements and abutment in the position shown in Figure 7-. I

Like reference numerals indicate like parts throughout all the figures of the drawings.

The machine in which this example of the invention is embodied is of the general type described in British Patent No. 105,076, and it is notproposed in the following description to refer, other than briefly, to those parts of the machine which are not substantially whereof the former is fixed and the latter is carried on a bell-cranklever 14 which is camoperated to open and close the jaw whenrequired e. when the caramel is to be released and gripped respectively) The carrier wheel 7 10 has; six pockets ll equally spaced apart around its periphery and the wheel is so driven as to make one-sixth of a revolution at each stage of its movement.

Ateachstep of the carrier wheel one of the pockets 11 is brought opposite to a wheel charging station 15 at which a reciprocating pusher 46 operates. The machine may be designed to operate on a continuous bar of con fect-ionery stock from which successive ortions are cut to form separate caramels which are fed in turn up to the charging station 15 and from thence into the wheel pockets. The .mechanism for'feeding the caramels to the charging station forms no part of this invention and is not therefore illustrated: The

' ."wrappers for the caramels are cut, by a knife 62 (Figure 2), from the leading end of a continuous paper strip 64 which is fed (by rollers 58, 59) across thepath'of the pusher 46 and .in front of thecarrier wheel. V

Referringto Figure 4 the pusher 46. is mounted to reciprocate in the central plane of the carrier wheel 10 and. along a substantially horizontal path. The pusher is supported by two lever arms 47, 48 which are spaced apartand pivotally'connected at their upper ends 49, '50, to the pusher. The lower ends of the arms 47,48 are pivotally mounted at 51 and 52 respectively on the machine frame. The arms 47 and 48; are so arranged as to form with the pusher a parallel motion linkage which will ensure that during the to will move approximately: parallel to itself. Reciprocation of the pusher is effected by means of a face cam 54 whichengages a roller on the lever arm 48. .-1F.0I'. the p urposeof gripping the wrapper while the latter is being severed from the sides respectively of the plane in which the wrapper strip 64 is fed. The gripping elements 60 which are-located on that side of the plane of feed adjacent to the pusher will hereinafter be referred to as the front gripper-s, and the elements 61 whichare on the opposite side of the plane of feed will be rc ferred to as the back grippers. The separate elements of each pair of grippers di posed on opposite sides respectively ofthe plane of the carrier wheel, and the corresponding elements of front and back pairs which are located on the same side of the wheel co-operate with each other. I

The front grippers 60 and the operating mechanism therefor will now be described. The grippers 60 are actuatedby a two-part rocker mechanism, between the two parts of which there is a spring-controlled lost-motion device. One part of this rockermechanism comprises arms the upper ends ofwhich plane of the" carry the grippers 60 and the lower ends of I which are mounted on a spindle 69 (which is parallel with the axis 89 of the carrier wheel) in such manner that the arms are free to rotate about the spindle. The second part'of.

the rocker mechanism comprises amember 77 depending fromthe spindle 69 and rotatably mounted on it. The aforesaid two parts of the mechanism are interconnected by springs in compression between the member 7 7 and the lower ends of the arms 75, and

by lugs 83 on the member 77 arranged to en'- gage with pins? 6 on the arms'75j Relative movement between the arms 7 5- and the member 77 is permitted to .an extent depending upon the distanceto which the stops 76 can move away from the lugs 83 against the com- Y pression ofthe springs 85.. The function of this lost-inotion connection willher'einafter be described. Rocklng movement of V the member 7 7 (which imparts a to-a'nd-fro move-c mentrto thegrippers 60) is effected bymeans of a cam 82fmounted' onfa shaft 7'3 which is so driven as to make six revolutions for each revolution of the carrier wheel. A lever, 80 attached to the member 77'carries a roller 81 which engages the surface ofthe cam 82;. The. roller 81is1 maintained in contact with'the cam surface by means of a spring 79in ten sion between afixed part of themachine frame and a downward extension 7 8 ofthe member 77. andifro movement of the pusher the latter Y The back grippers61 and their associated parts and operating mechanism will now be described. The backgrippersfil are carried on the upper ends of downwardly extending arms 67 the lower ends of which are mounted in a rotatable manner'on the aforesaid spingrippers 60, 61.

dle 69. Arcranked lever attached to the lower ends of the arms 67, carries a roller 71 which engages with the surface of a cam 72 mounted on the aforesaid cam shaft 73 which operatesthe front rippers. A spring 74 in tension between a xed part of the machine frame and the free end of the lever 70 constrains the roller 71 towards the surface of the cam 72. v

The abutment which is provided by the invention for engaging the rear face of the wrapper behind the caramel and for supporting the caramel during its transfer into the carrier wheel will now be described. The abutment aforesaid is in two parts 63 (Figures 3, 7 and 8) carried on horizontal arms 66 which lie between and are attached to the back grippers 61. The abutment parts 63 are thus movable to and fro with theback grippers 61. The operative faces of the abutment parts 63 are in the same plane as the operative faces of the back grippers 61. The abutment parts 63, when in the forward position shown in Figure 3, are arranged to extend from opposite sides of the central plane of the carrier wheel into a receiving pocket 11 of the wheel. The abutment parts 63 are spaced apart to provide a gap which is suflicient, in the retracted position of the abutnients shown in Figure 8, to allow of the un impeded rotation of the carrier wheel.

The operation of the machine as a whole is as follows.

, Vfhen the leading end of the wrapper strip (which is to form the wrapper 65 is in position in front of the carrier wheel, the grippers 60, 61 are brought into engagement with the sheet on opposite sides thereof, and when so engaged the knife 62 operates tosever the wrapper 65 from .the remainder of the Strip 64. In this position of the parts, which is illustrated in Figure 4, the pusher 46 is ad vanoing in engagement with the caramel 90 which has been brought to the charging station. The cams 7 2 and 82 are so shaped and the springs 74 and are so selected, that in the position ofthe parts shown in Figure 4 conditions the springs 85 are operative and ensure that a resilientgripping pressure is applied to the wrapper'64 by thecooperating On the continued advance of the pusher 46 the caramel is brought into the position shown in Figure 5, in which the leading face of the caramel abuts on the wrapper 65. In

this'position, the abutment parts .63 bear on the rear face of the wrapper 65 at points im mediately behind the caramel 90, and the latter is thus gripped between the pusher 46 and the abutments,.the wrapper being inter posed between the leading face of the caramel and the operative faces of the abutment parts.

In this way close application of the wrapper The caramel and the-wrapper continue to I be gripped in the manner. described above during their transfer into a wheel pocket 11 which at this stage is situated in the path of the pusher. During the continued advance of the pusher the following sequenceof op erations takes place. The pusher, by its thrust on the abutment 63forces the arms 67 in a direction towards the axis of the carrier wheel, and during this movement the roller 71 is lifted clear of the cam 72. During the movement as aforesaid of the back grippers and abutment, the roller 81following the cam surface 82 moves the front gripper arms 75 in a direction towards the axis of the carrier wheel, and the front grippers 60 continue their engagement with the wrapper until the caramel has been pushed home into the receiving pocket. During the ing the advance of the caramel into the pocket the wrapper 64 is folded about the top and bottom faces of the caramel.

The pusher 46 is now withdrawn (by the action of the cam 54)" and at or about the same time the back-gripper actuatingcam 72 comes into operation and by its' engagementwiththe roller 71-'-forces the arms 67 still further towards the axis of the carrierwheel, thus releasing their grip on the wrapper and bringing them into the position shown in Figures 7 and 8.- 'Inthis position the abutment parts 63 are behind the back of thereceiving pocket andlocated on opposite sides of a narrow web portion 92 ofthe" carrier wheel. The fixed jaws 12 of the re ceiving pockets are formed on this web portion 92, and the movable jaws 13 havecorrespondingly narrow stems 93, so that when the abutment63 is in theposition shown in Figures 7 and 8 the carrier wheel may be rotated to bring the next pocket of the p At or about the same time as the cam 72 operates,

wheel up to the charging station.

the arm 67 as aforesaid,the cam 82 engaging v with the roller 81 swings the front gripper arms 7 5 in a direction away from the carrier I wheel and into the position shown in Figures 7 and 8. The carrier wheel then rotates through one-sixth of a revolution (during which time the wrapper'65 is folded about 7 v pusher, and at the same time the leading end of. thewrapper strip 64: is fed between the pusher and the carrier wheel and the complete sequence of operations above described is "repeated. 'Aftera caramel and its wrapper have been transferred, to the carrier wheel,

they are carried around step-by-step through 180, into alignment with twister devices 87,

88 which operate on the ends of the now tubular wrapper o in: order to complete the closureof the wrapping. After a further par-, tial rotationiof the carrier wheel the movable jaw 13 of the receiving pocket is vopened and the wrapped caramel released.

' It will be seen thatthe abutment 63 not only ensures that the wrapper is closely ap plied to thead-jacent face of the caramel, but also. provides in conjunction with the pusher 46 a, device to grip the caramel and support it" during its transfer into thereceivinm pocket,- Thus even though a caramel oi abnorma ly small'size be presented at the charging station, the mechanism cannot fail to elfeetits proper transfer to the carrier 7 wheel, further feature of theapparatus is that thewrappergrippers are arranged to locate the, Wrapper in the correct plane relatively to the caramel irrespective of the size of the latter, and any danger of the wrapper be in crumpled during the transfer of the caramel is almost entirely eliminated.

,It is to be understood that although the inventi-on has been particularly described with reference to a caramel wrapping machine opcrating on a continuousbar of stock, the invention is iiot'limited to this particular application but may be embodied in other wrappingmachines of the carrierwheel type.

vlclaim 1. Ina caramel wrapping machine of the type described the combination of an intermittently rotatable carrier wheel provided Wvi th peripheral receiving pockets, a reciproeat ng pusher for feedingicaramels one at a time into successive pockets of the wheel,

means for locating alwrapper'between the carr er wheel and the pusher, and two pairs, ofr wrappengripping elements located one pair on each side of the plane of wrapper feed with one element of each pair on one side of the carrier wheel and the other elemerit ofthat pairon the opposite sidethere;--

of, both pairs of gripping elements being separate from the pusher but operable in timed relationship therewith. 7

The wrapping machineclaimedin claim' 1" combined with an abutment which is 10- cated'beh nd the plane of the wrapper in a -position opposite the pusher and is pivotally mounted'for movement about an aXis parallel .with that of the carrier wheel, and

means interconnecting the abutment afore-.

said with that pair of wrapper gripping ele- I ments which is located behind the wrapper i in. such manner" that the abutment and said elements. are movable together towards and,

away from wrapper. Y i p 3. The wrapping machine'claimed in claim 1 combined with a spring-controlled lostthe aforesaidplane of the motion device arranged to control the actua tion of that pair of gripping elementswhi ch is located in front of the plane of the wrapper j located behind the plane of the wrapper in" line with the path of the pusher, and means operable on each forward stroke oft-lie pusher to bring the abutment into engagement with the rear face of the wrapper directly behind the caramel and to move said abutment with the caramel during itstransfer into the carrier wheel.

In acaramel wrapping machine of the type described, the combination of an intermittently rotatable carrier wheel provided.

with peripheral receivingipoclret s, a recipro eating pusher for feeding caramels one at a time into successive pockets of the wheel, means for locating a wrapper'bet'ween the carrier wheel and the pusher, a movable abutmcnt separate from the carrier wheel and located behind the wrapper, and means for operating said abutment, during the advance of the caramel, to grip the latte'r, with its wrapper, between the opposed faces ,of' the pusher and the abutment and to travel with the caramel during its transfer into. the carrier wheeLj- 6. In caramel wrapping, machine of the type described, the combination of an intermittently rotatable carrier wheel provided with peripheral receiving pockets, a reciproeating pusher for feeding cara nels one at a. 7

time into successivepockets'of the wheel,

meaiis for locating a wrapper between the carr1erwheel and the pusher, and a springcontrol'led movable abutment separate from V the carrier wheel and operable toengage and,

exert yielding pressure on the rear face of the wrapper directly beh nd the caramel during the transfer of the caramel vinto thecarrier Ina caramelwrapping machine of the type described, the combination of an intermittently'rotatable carrier wheel provided with peripheral receiving'po'ckets, arecipro-' eating pusher for feedingcaramels one at a time o successive pockets of the wheel, means for locating a wrapper between the carrier wheel and the pusher, an abutment which is located behind the wrapper in a position directly in line with the pusher and is pivotally mounted for movement about an axis parallel with that of the carrier wheel,

and means operable on each forward stroke of the pusher to bring the abutment aforesaid into spring-pressed engagement with that portion of the rear face of the wrapper whichoverlies the caramel.

8. In a caramel wrapping machine of the type described, the combination of an intermittently rotatable carrier wheel provided 7 with peripheral receiving pockets, a reciproeating pusher for feeding caramels one at a time into successive pockets ofthe wheel,

means for locating a wrapper between the carrier wheel and the pusher, a movable abutment which is located behind the wrapper in a position directly in line with the pusher and '2 is pivotally mounted for movement about an axis parallel with that of the carrier wheel,

spring means to constrain the abutment in a direction towards the plane of the wrapper,

and a cam operable to move the abutment V beyond the wheel pocket in a direction towards the axis of the carrier wheel.

9. In a caramel wrapping machine of the type described, the combination of an intermittently rotatable carrier wheel'provided with peripheral receiving pockets, a reciproeating pusher for feeding caramels one at a time into successive pockets of the wheel, means for locating a wrapper between the M carrier wheel and the pusher, a movable abut ment which is located behind the plane of'the wrapper in a direct line with the pusher and is formed in two parts positioned on opposite sides respectively of the carrier wheel, and means operable on each forward stroke of the 49 pusher to bring the abutment aforesaid into spring-pressed engagement with that portion of the rear face of the wrapper which overlies the caramel, and to move the abutment with the caramel during the transfer of the latter into the carrier wheel.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

ALFRED GERMAN ROSE. 

